The distinct responsibility of having students learn rests on the very shoulders of teachers throughout nine out of the twelve months that are in a year, so the students should direly be permitted to design how they learn over the three month break that they get. This three month break, summer, to most students, is a time where they can finally let go of all their responsibilities and worries and leave them right in the classroom. Most do not think twice about what they have learned over the past semester, but instead are already steps ahead on planning what events. attractions, and/or vacations they may embark on. Teachers still try to make an effort for learners to still store information they have learned and even try add on to it by assigning projects that are aimed directly for students to complete by the next school year. More often than not, projects are long-term, and that causes the student to be continuously involved with the material and truly grasp the knowledge coming at them. Summer projects should be student-designed due to the fact that they are more likely to retain the knowledge, it lets them express their creativity and uniqueness, and finally they would be more inclined to complete the project.

When a student does a project that is created by them, they have to think outside of the box and really put an effort to make a project that caters towards themselves. Every student will be likely to design a different version of the project and there will be no barriers to how they can let their creative minds visualize the project and ultimately complete it. Having them let their brain-storming abilities to take over and conceptualize on how they will continue to tackle the task at hand, truly sets them up for active learning and teaches them very useful future skills that they will use. Varying on the topic, students can create physical projects such as posters or tri-folds, or they can create online projects such as graphs or tables. Having the ability to express your mind is something that can not be so easily undermined or the very learning that is so emphasized in today's educational system will have failed.

To actually learn an individual needs to be able to understand the knowledge that is going through their mind as they work on assignments, and there is truly no better way to learn than to self-learn while working on a project. Unlike tests or any other sort of assignment, projects give students more of a chance to actually learn rather than just memorizing knowledge for a sort period of time and then forgetting it the second they turn in the assignment. Making sure that their mind is continuously being subjected to complete the assignment over a long period of time consequently burns the knowledge into their brain and helps them to better retain it. Having students do the designing portion of the assignment as well would lead to even more learning due to them needing to know the content first and then being able to correctly complete it with no errors. Having the responsibility of creating and then completing an assignment can only lead to more mind involvement which would lead to learning and would ultimately lead to retaining.

Producing the best possible work can only come through the prosperity of motivation and the willingness to do the work. Students often look at summer assignments as needless work that a teacher wants them to complete for a grade, but if they were to honestly enjoy the work they were creating and completing then their effort would truly be expressed through their work. Having that passion to finish and be proud with the work that they complete is the leading factor for high grades, and also causes high amounts of knowledge to be learned. Trying to just rush through an assignment made by a teacher can be dreadful, but when doing a student-designed project they must take their time and fully comprehend all that is going on in it. People such as Bill Gates can be a perfect example of displaying this sort of passion and then having their work speak for the amount of effort they put in, or else Microsoft would not be one of the top companies in the world.

Being able to learn and retain knowledge, express themselves in countless ways, and want to actually complete the assignment are all reasons why student-designed projects prove to be more resourceful and efficient in the life of a typical student. However, teacher-designed projects are helpful too, they teach exactly what the teacher would teach them in class which gives learners an understanding of the content from the teachers perspective and could possibly give them knowledge on material they do not know. Learning is retaining, if the students do not retain any of the knowledge they are just trying to complete another teacher-given assignment, and they are not truly learning. Summer is not only a time of fun and enjoyment, but is also is a time for students to get a step ahead and continue their journey to pursue their dreams, which can only come from one ability, learning.